McDermott restocks London competition bench with ex-A&O hire

McDermott has hired senior competition lawyer Kristina Nordlander as a partner in London, moving quickly to rebuild its antitrust bench following the recent departure of its only competition partner in the City.

The hire comes just a month after partner Omar Shah left McDermott after only six months at the firm. Shah joined in May last year from Morgan Lewis and was the firm’s only competition partner in London, leaving a gap in a key area for any firm with strong transactional credentials.

Competition pedigree

Nordlander is a highly rated EU competition specialist with more than 20 years’ experience. She most recently worked at A&O Shearman and brings expertise across antitrust, merger control and state aid, with a focus on tech and life sciences. She also practises in Brussels.

Before A&O Shearman, Nordlander spent 16 years at Sidley Austin in Brussels, where she served as global co-head of antitrust.

Ryan Tisch, McDermott’s global head of antitrust, described her as a "force in European competition law", while London managing partner Aymen Mahmoud said Nordlander’s arrival was "a powerful marker" of the firm’s momentum globally.

London expansion

The hire is the latest addition to McDermott’s London platform following its merger last year with private capital-focused New York firm Schulte Roth & Zabel.

In recent months the firm has brought in financial regulation partner Karen Butler from DLA Piper, real estate finance specialist Owen Jones from Tristan Capital Partners and disputes partner Hilton Mervis from Arnold & Porter.